Life sentence for Melissa’s ice-cold killer

HE was old enough to be her father, strong enough to be her protector and evil enough to masquerade as both before casually killing her and calmly dumping her body, confident that no one would find her or care enough to keep looking.

Ronnie Dunbar preyed on Melissa Mahon, a “disturbed, fragile and vulnerable child” just 14 years old, disposed of her remains “in a manner not befitting an animal” and frustrated inquiries into her whereabouts.

The tattooed, shaven- skulled 44-year-old took the criticisms from Mr Justice Barry White in the Central Criminal Court as if the veteran judge was reading the alphabet.

Devoid of emotion, the Sligo man stood in his tight-fitting navy tracksuit to receive his sentence for Melissa’s manslaughter looking like no words or actions could penetrate his muscle-bound hide or ice-cold heart.

Even when the judge delivered the most severe penalty open to the courts — life imprisonment — Dunbar, who also called himself Ronald McManus, did not flinch.

He raised his heavy eyebrows and pursed his lips briefly as if to say “is that so?” but not a single shudder of alarm or anguish ran through his steely frame.

Mr Justice White had remarked that the killer showed no remorse throughout his trial and it was clear he wasn’t about to change now.

There was little emotion either around the courtroom where details of his twisted relationship with the tragic care-home runaway spilled out over five harrowing weeks in April and May.

Dunbar’s daughters, who eventually overcame their own fear of him to disclose what they knew of Melissa’s fate, were not present yesterday.

Melissa’s family was represented only by one of the teenager’s sisters, Leanna, a slight girl in a dark ponytail who could not bring herself to make any public comment.

Dunbar put up no resistance to the handcuffs clasped around his wrists as prisoners officers led him away to begin a sentence that will be of indeterminate length.

The average life sentence runs to about 16 or 17 years — only a little longer than Melissa was let live.